Unilateral visual impairment and blindness in school children - prevalence and aetiology in Saki-East LGA of Oyo State, Nigeria.

OBJECTIVE: This study determined the prevalence and aetiology of unilateral visual impairment (VI) and blindness and its associated factors in school children. METHODS: We conducted a multistage, cross-sectional study in primary and secondary schools of Saki-East Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria. Unilateral VI was defined as presenting visual acuity (PVA) worse than +0.3 LogMAR (6/12) and unilateral blindness as PVA worse than +1.3 LogMAR (3/60) in the worse eye. Detailed ocular examinations were performed for students with unilateral VI, and Logistic regression analysis was performed to explore associations with independent variables. RESULTS: The mean age of participants was 11 ± 3.2 years. Thirty-six (0.98%) of 3671 children had unilateral VI, and fifteen children had unilateral blindness (0.41%), giving a combined prevalence of 1.39 ± 0.5%. History of ocular trauma was reported by 14 (27.5%) participants with unilateral VI and blindness. In addition, those with a history of ocular trauma were 6.5 times more likely to be blind or have a severe VI (95% CI 1.5-2.8) than those without a history of ocular trauma. Uncorrected refractive error was the major cause of unilateral VI in 26 (51%) participants, while traumatic cataract was the main cause of unilateral blindness seen in 5 (9.8%) participants, none of whom had a previous eye examination. CONCLUSION: Fourteen per thousand school children had unilateral VI in this study; the major causes were refractive error and cataract, which are treatable. Ocular trauma was a significant risk factor for unilateral VI and blindness.

Relationship between dry eye and glycosylated haemoglobin among diabetics in Ibadan, Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION: dry eye is a fairly common ocular surface disorder which significantly affects the quality of life of patients. This study aimed to determine the prevalence, and relationship between dry eye and glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) among patients with diabetes mellitus. METHODS: this was a descriptive hospital-based study conducted among patients diagnosed with diabetes mellitus and attending the Diabetic Clinic at a tertiary health facility in Ibadan, south-western Nigeria. Dry eye was assessed using the standardized Ocular Surface Disease Index Questionnaire administered to the eligible respondents on dry eye symptoms. Detailed ocular examination including the tear break-up time (TBUT) and Schirmer I test were carried out and a recent glycosylated haemoglobin value was also obtained. RESULTS: one hundred and eighty-nine Type 2 diabetic patients were studied, with 68.8% female and a mean age of 60.2 ± 10.3 years. The frequency of dry eye among patients was 21.7% (95% CI, 15.8-27.6). The most commonly reported symptoms of dry eye were "feeling of gritty sensation" (78%, 95% CI, 65.4-90.7) and "blurred vision" (73.2%, 95% CI, 59.6-86.7) while "discomfort in windy areas" (61%, 95% CI, 46.0-75.9) was the most common environmental trigger. No statistically significant correlation was noted between dry eye and HbA1c (r = 0.086, p= 0.239), and age (r = 0.096, p = 0.1). CONCLUSION: dry eye is fairly common among patients with diabetes mellitus with most frequent symptoms being gritty sensation and blurred vision. No significant correlation was noted between dry eye and glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c).